Strong rip currents produced multiple rescues at Wrightsville Beach.
Every event with a place to put it; 1 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. Tap one for its entry below.
Deaths and injuries are direct and indirect together, as the offices filed them. Damage is property and crops in the dollars of the year, not adjusted for inflation, and only where an office estimated it.
The episode as NWS ILM wrote it up.
Strong rip currents produced multiple rescues at Wrightsville Beach.
The local office's own words before the first event, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.
NWS Wilmington, NC wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Sep 9, 5:50 AM EST, 4 hours 10 minutes earlier.
Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Wilmington NC 650 AM EDT Sun Sep 9 2018 .SYNOPSIS... High pressure across the northwestern Atlantic will maintain a warm and humid tropical airmass across the Carolinas. This high will also help steer what is expected to become a very strong Hurricane Florence toward the Carolina coastline Thursday into Friday. Depending on what path the hurricane takes, significant impacts from strong winds, heavy rainfall, and storm surge flooding may develop. && .NEAR TERM /THROUGH TONIGHT/... As of 300 AM Sunday...Isolated to widely scattered showers and thunderstorms are on tap today. Onshore flow is producing isolated to scattered showers attm and some of these are or will be moving onshore before daybreak. Expect this coverage to diminish after sunrise as focus becomes more land based with heating. Highs today should peak out in the upper 80s to lower 90s with lows tonight in the low to mid 70s. && .SHORT TERM /MONDAY THROUGH TUESDAY NIGHT/... As of 300 AM Sunday...It's the literal calm before the storm. The all-important upper level ridge that will steer Hurricane Florence toward the Carolina coast will take shape north of Bermuda on Monday, strengthening to 597 dam heights at 500 mb by late Tuesday. This is around +2 standard deviations from normal. Surface high pressure beneath this feature should maintain a light mainly southerly wind across the Carolinas with the humid, tropical airmass continuing. Precipitable water values should remain around 2 inches. No significant surface or upper air features are expected to traverse the area Monday or Tuesday. Enough sunshine is expected both days for inland highs to again reach the lower 90s. This should lead to enough instability to fuel scattered showers and t-storms with coverage averaging 30-40 percent each day. Following the pattern of the past couple of weeks, I've added a few degrees to inland GFS/NAM MOS values both days...which makes them match ECMWF MOS quite closely. Otherwise a MOS consensus approach appears reasonable for temperatures. && .LONG TERM /WEDNESDAY THROUGH SATURDAY/... As of 300 PM Saturday...For Tue into Wed, the wx will cooperate for any preparations that need to be executed due to Hurricane Florence. Will go with climo for convection chances for these 2 days. All models continue with possible major effects from Hurricane Florence from late Wed thru late Fri. And a possible landfall across the Carolinas via the latest Hurricane Center's Official Forecast. Still plenty of time for changes to manifest itself in the Florence forecast and is best not to concentrate on just the 1 fcst track. The sustained winds have been capped at 30 kt following NWS guidance about capping forecast wind speeds at 30 knots in the extended period, ie. days 5-7. POPs associated with Florence will ramp up to atleast high chance to likely from late Wed night thru Friday, and possibly longer given latest extended model progs. Temps thru this period will run atleast 1 category above climo, with nighttime lows at 1 to 2 categories above normal. Due to Florence potential, the lowest diurnal range in temps will occur Wed night thru Friday night. && .AVIATION /12Z SUNDAY THROUGH THURSDAY/... As of 12Z...Early morning low stratus and fog near FLO and LBT should burn off between 13-14Z. Heat and humidity should then lead to the development of scattered showers and thunderstorms across the area. Probabilities favor most of the activity to remain near the coast this morning, shifting inland this afternoon. High-res models show ILM has the best potential of showers this morning between 13Z-17Z, with similar timing if isolated showers were to develop over the CRE or MYR airports. Inland convective activity should hold off until after 18Z. High humidity and calm winds tonight could allow fog and/or low stratus to develop in the 1-2 hours before sunrise, mainly affecting the FLO and LBT airports. Extended Outlook...Mostly VFR through Wednesday with the exception of isolated showers or t-storms. Patchy early morning MVFR fog is also possible. Hurricane Florence may begin to affect the area Thursday with strengthening winds and deteriorating ceiling/visibility. && .MARINE... NEAR TERM /THROUGH TONIGHT/... As of 300 AM Sunday...Outside isolated showers and storms, expect light NE winds to become SE around 10 KT today with a turn to the south tonight. Seas will run 2 to 3 feet with dominant wave periods in excess of 10 seconds due swells from TS Florence. Winds and seas may be higher in showers and tstms. SHORT TERM /MONDAY THROUGH TUESDAY NIGHT/... As of 300 AM Sunday...It's the literal calm before the storm. High pressure over the northwestern Atlantic will produce a light mainly south wind across the area. Scattered showers and thunderstorms should dot the area in the continuing warm, tropical airmass. These showers/storms should be most common during the overnight and morning hours both days. All models are in good agreement with this scenario. Seas Monday and Tuesday will consist largely of 11-13 second swells in advance of Hurricane Florence, averaging 2-3 feet in height. Seas should begin to reach 4 feet Tuesday night near and north of Cape Fear. LONG TERM /WEDNESDAY THROUGH THURSDAY/... As of 300 PM Saturday...Wavewatch3 indicates a further increasing trend to the easterly Florence swell at 13 to 15 second periods. Deteriorating Seas will build to 10 ft plus Wed night. Winds directly associated with Florence will begin to increase across the local waters during Wed followed by a marketed increase to speeds Wed Night. && .ILM WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... SC...High Rip Current Risk through this evening for SCZ054-056. NC...High Rip Current Risk through this evening for NCZ106-108-110. MARINE...None. && SYNOPSIS...TRA NEAR TERM...RAN SHORT TERM...TRA LONG TERM...DCH AVIATION...TRA MARINE...
Hazardous Weather Outlook National Weather Service Wilmington NC 435 AM EDT Sun Sep 9 2018 NCZ106-108-110-SCZ054-056-100845- Coastal Pender-Coastal New Hanover-Coastal Brunswick-Coastal Horry- Coastal Georgetown- 435 AM EDT Sun Sep 9 2018 ...HIGH RIP CURRENT RISK IN EFFECT FROM 8 AM EDT THIS MORNING THROUGH THIS EVENING... This Hazardous Weather Outlook is for southeast North Carolina and northeast South Carolina. .DAY ONE...Today and tonight. Please listen to NOAA Weather Radio or go to weather.gov on the Internet for more information about the following hazards. High Rip Current Risk. Minor coastal flooding is possible around the time of high tide this evening. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Monday through Saturday. Florence is forecast to become a major hurricane before approaching the coast of the Carolinas sometime Thursday or Friday. Depending on the path the storm takes, significant or even catastrophic impacts from wind, heavy rain, and storm surge flooding are possible. It is critical that you monitor the latest forecasts on this developing weather situation. The risk of rip currents at the beaches should remain high in the days leading up to Hurricane Florence's arrival. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... Spotter activation will likely be needed Thursday into Friday. NCZ087-096-099-105-107-109-SCZ017-023-024-032-033-039-055-058-059- 100845- Robeson-Bladen-Columbus-Inland Pender-Inland New Hanover- Inland Brunswick-Marlboro-Darlington-Dillon-Florence-Marion- Williamsburg-Inland Georgetown-Central Horry-Northern Horry- 435 AM EDT Sun Sep 9 2018 This Hazardous Weather Outlook is for southeast North Carolina and northeast South Carolina. .DAY ONE...Today and tonight. Hazardous weather is not expected at this time. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Monday through Saturday. Florence is forecast to become a major hurricane before approaching the coast of the Carolinas sometime Thursday or Friday. Depending on the path the storm takes, significant or even catastrophic impacts from wind and heavy rain are possible. It is critical that you monitor the latest forecasts on this developing weather situation. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... Spotter activation will likely be needed Thursday into Friday. AMZ250-252-254-256-100845- Coastal waters from Surf City to Cape Fear NC out 20 nm- Coastal waters from Cape Fear NC to Little River Inlet SC out 20 nm- Coastal waters from Little River Inlet to Murrells Inlet SC out 20 nm- Coastal waters from Murrells Inlet to South Santee River SC out 20 nm- 435 AM EDT Sun Sep 9 2018 This Hazardous Weather Outlook is for the adjacent Coastal Waters. .DAY ONE...Today and tonight. Hazardous weather is not expected at this time. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Monday through Saturday. Florence is forecast to become a major hurricane before approaching the coast of the Carolinas sometime Thursday or Friday. Depending on the path the storm takes, significant or even catastrophic impacts from wind and battering waves are possible. It is critical that you monitor the latest forecasts on this developing weather situation. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... Spotter activation will likely be needed Thursday into Friday. 9
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
1 rip current. Local standard time, as filed.
There were 15 rip related rescues at Wrightsville Beach.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in North Carolina in 2018Every state in 2018This day in weather historyWarnings in North Carolina, September 2018
NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database, compiled from the National Weather Service’s monthly Storm Data. Complete through 2026-06; NCEI adds each month about 75 days after it ends and revises past years a few times a year. Rebuilt 2026-09-24. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 786808.